This invention relates to a guard ring for preventing wet snow from accumulating on the surface of long-distance transmission cable. These transmission cables are generally composed of a number of stranded round component wires having spiral grooves on their outer periphery. Typically, these guard rings are made of plastic, rubber or similar materials and are mounted on the cable at spaced intervals about one twist length apart to prevent wet snow from forming a tubular layer around the cable.
An example of a such guard ring is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,726. As noted in this patent, it was found that within a critical temperature range from 0.degree. C. to +2.degree. C., the wet snow being deposited along the turns of the cable slips underneath the line where it remains suspended on account of adhesion to the cable thereby allowing more and more wet snow to accumulate on the line. As a result, the line is circularly enclosed by an ever growing jacket of snow which in time subjects the line and supporting poles to abnormal loads causing the line poles to fail and bend over one after the other.
The guard rings of the aforementioned U.S. patent have a break at one location and in a pre-assembly state have a smaller inside diameter than the outside diameter of the line. In assembly, the open ends of the ring are separated at the break and the rings placed around the line, after which the ends are snapped back so that the ring will tightly and circularly clamp the line. However, this kind of assembly fails to provide a firm seat on the line and also requires a laborious manual mounting step.